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Former Chair of Iceland’s Kaupthing Wanted by Interpol

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Former Chair of Iceland’s Kaupthing Wanted by Interpol

May 12, 2010 08:59Updated: January 30, 2014 20:16

Iceland’s Special Prosecutor Ólafur Thór Hauksson issued a warrant for the arrest of former chairman of the Icelandic bank Kaupthing Sigurdur Einarsson yesterday. Einarsson, who lives in London, is now wanted by Interpol.

Sigurdur Einarsson. Copyright: Icelandic Photo Agency.

“I will test the human rights that I have here in Britain and won’t come back home into these circumstances unforced,” Einarsson told visir.is.

Einarsson was supposed to come in for questioning later this week. The special prosecutor then requested that Einarsson come to the country sooner, as stated on visir.is.

Einarsson said he wouldn’t comply with the request unless the special prosecutor could promise that he would not be arrested upon his arrival. This promise could apparently not be made.

Two other high-ranking former Kaupthing executives were arrested upon their arrival in the country yesterday, Ingólfur Helgason and Steingrímur Kárason.

“I am absolutely stunned by this latest news. I am very surprised that people are arrested as soon as they come to the country,” Einarsson commented to visir.is after learning about the arrest of his former associates.

Former Kaupthing CEO Hreidar Már Sigurdsson and former director of Kaupthing in Luxembourg Magnús Gudmundsson are currently in custody.

“These arrests and custody rulings are, to my knowledge, absolutely without reason and I will not participate in this play voluntarily; a play which I believe is staged only to calm the nation’s anger. This has been hinted and officials don’t dare deny it,” Einarsson stated.

If Einarsson is arrested in the UK, British courts will decide whether he will be extradited to Iceland.